Travelling criminal gang blamed for burglaries in Derry

Two homes were ransacked last night

Two buglaries in Derry last night have been linked to a gang of travelling criminals.

At around 6pm last night a property in St John's Park had been broken into.

A sum of money was stolen.

Sometime later, between 8.15pm and 11.45pm, entry was forced to a house in Garden City.

Rooms inside the property were ransacked and a personal document was reported stolen.

Police believe travelling criminals are targeting homes, not just in the city but across Northern Ireland on the hunt for cash and jewellery.

Detective Constable Paul McDonald said:

"They are making it their business to break into homes and make money from stealing from their victims. They don’t care about the victims. They only care about the valuable items they can get.

“These travelling criminals leave us with few evidential opportunities to follow up on and that makes it difficult for us to identify them, which is why we need everybody’s help in ensuring they do not get away with their crimes.

“We are working closely with our partner agencies to catch these criminals, including our colleagues in An Garda Síochána, and I would ask anyone who sees any suspicious vehicles, or people acting suspiciously to call us. If you see something out of place at your neighbour’s house, and it arouses suspicion, pick up the phone and report it to us.

“Regarding the two burglaries last night in the city, in particular, I am appealing to anyone who was in the Garden City or St. John's Park areas between 6pm and 11:50pm and saw any suspicious behaviour, or noticed any strange vehicles in the area to contact detectives at Strand Road on the non-emergency number 101, quoting reference number 1352 of 29/11/18.

Alternatively, information can also be provided to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 which is 100% anonymous and gives people the power to speak up and stop crime.